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' April 21,1925.

V. K. BOYNTQN PROCESS FOR FUME CONTROL Filed May 27 1921 atented Apr.El, $25.;

entree starts VEBJN K. BOYNTON, G'F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNGR T0 PER-RY65 WEBSTER, ENG, OF NEW YORK, N. 1., A CGRPGEATION NEW YORK.

PROCESS FOR FUI'EE CONTROL.

Application filed May 2'7,

To all ZN/b01 72 it may concern:

Be it known that I, VERN K. BorNToN, a citizen of the United States,residing in New York city, county of New York, borough of hiianhattan,and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefullniprovements in Processes for Fume Control, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to the control of fumes and devices suitable forthe application of my process and refers particularly to the control offumes arising during the thinning operation of paint vehicles, varnishesand similar materials and apparatus relating thereto.

This application has been divided and divisional application filed inthe United States Patent Oliice on January 23, 1922 under Serial Number531,300.

In the production of paint vehicles, varnishes and similar products, theoleo-rcsinone compound, or mixture, resulting from the heating of thevegetable oils, gums, resins, etc. is thinned by adding thereto avolatile c0mpound,'the nature and character of which depends upon theparticular oleoresinous mixture employed and the final result desired.

The heated oleo-resinous mixture is generallyremoved from the proximityof the the into a cooling room and the necessary thinners adder. Thesethinners are generally of a highly volatile character and, they areusually added to the melt while the latter is still at a temperaturecausing volatilization, fumes of the thinners are given oil in copiousquantities.

imong the thinners employed are turpentine and benzene and, it isevident that it is economically important that the fumes should not beallowed to escape into the air and thus be lost and, asthe fumes combinewith air to form mixtures having highlyinflammable and explosiveproperties, it is further highly advisable to so control them as toprevent the formation of such dangerous mixtures. i

The usually employed device for the thinning operation of products ofthe described character comprises the kettle containing the hot melt anda cover for the kettle having an opening connected with a conduit, whichconduit is connected with a cooling and con- 1921. Serial no; 473,073.

lensing device for the condensation and collection of the fumes thathave escaped from the kettle through the conduit. The assage of thefumes from the kettle and through the conduit may be caused by the vaporpressure of the fumes within the kettie or by an artificially enforceddraught.

The process of depending upon the produced vapor pressure as a means formoving the produced fumes is dangerous in its application and unreliablein its results. When the fumes are thus allowed to accumulate within thekettle, they frequently form inflammable and explosive mixtures, thusmaking the process a dangerous and expensive one. lf, as is usual, anumber of these fume exit conduits are connected to a manifold, it isimpossible to determine the relative quantity of thinncr'that hascondensed and returned to any particular melt and that which has escapedfrom the kettle, and hence, the amount of thinner remaining in thecooled melt is avarying one, as re gards different batches, varying,tin-uniform and tin-reliable results.

Previously employed artificially induced draughts have been predicatedupon the idea of removing all fumes from the kettle and recovering asmuch as possible by condensation. This process of operation has manyobjectionable features. As all batches are not of exactly the sametemperature at the time of adding the thinner, varyingquantities ofthinner are volatilized. There is always an undeterminable amount ofthinner condensed within the kettle and returned to the melt, especiallyas the melt becomes cooler. The operator is compelled to previouslycalculate the amount of thinner that will escape from the kettle and addthat amount in excess in the beginning of his operation so that hisfinished melt will have the desired quantity and, as the withdrawnquantity of fume can not be accurately measured in advance of theoperation, his final product will vary in the different batches, or, hemust measure the condensed fumes, if he employs a separate condensingdevice for each kettle and then add any excess or sutlicicncy of thinnerto the next batch and blend the two batches.

Further, in these artificially induced draught devices, no means wereemployed to control the admixture of air and fumes to thus producinprevent the danger and expense incident to the production of inflammableand explosive mixtures.

The process of my invention and the device suitable for its applicationpresent a as to prevent all possibility of the formation of inflammableand exploslve llllXt'LllB' and to reduce to a minimum the amount offumes incident-to the saturation ofhe admixedv air.

t is evident that if practically all of the volatilized thinner bereturned to tl e melt during the thinningoperation, the operator canaccurately determine the amount of thinner to be added to produce thedesired result. It is further evident that it will obviate the necessityof using quantities of thinner largely in excess ofthat desired in thefinished result.

It is further evident that uniform results can be obtained from repeatedbatches and that these results can be controlled by the initial additicnof definite quantities of thinner.

The process of my invention produces all of these desirable resultsand,'therefore,

presents a new, valuable and useful method for accomplishing thethinning ofthematerials mentioned.

Ihave discovered that if the draught upon thelkettle be properlycontrolled to balance the. volume of produced'fumc, air can be admittedinto the kettle below the cover in restricted and controlled quantitiesand in necessary dilution to avoid explosive mixtures andthat the fumewill be maintained within the kettle, or adjacent thereto, untilpractically all of it has reached the condensing point, thereby beingreturned to the batch and also, preventing the escape ofany considerablequantity of fume, thus removing the danger of the production of firesoreX- plosions from overflow of fume.

In the accompanyingdrawings, illustrating one form of-a device suitablefor the carrying out of my process, similar parts are designated bysimilar numerals.

Figure 1 is a front plan view of one form of my device partly insection.-

Figure 2 is a view through the line 2-2 of Figure 1. r

The device of my invention, shown in the accompanying drawings,comprises a kettle 10, around the upper periphery of which is a seriesof extended bolts 11, 11. The kettle carries a removable cover 12,having an extended annular flange 13 and a series of flanges 14, it uponits inner face. The cover 12 has the thern iemetcr opening 15 and thefunnel openii 16, which can be closed by the pivoted covers 17 and 18respectively. The rattle cover has the operating opening 19 capable ofbeing closed by the hinged'door 20. The cover 12 has the fume opening21. Attached to, and supported by, the cover 12 is a semi-sphericalmember 22, having an opening 23 come sponding to the fume opening 21 ofthe cover. Supported by the mei'n-ber 22 and revoluble therein is ahollow spherical member 24, having a lower opening 25 and-an upperopening 26 within the flange 27. The two members 22 and 2-l thus form arevolublejoint to allow of the positioning of the member 2% in orderthat the pipe 30,1nay be attached thereto. Carried by the flange 27 is apipe 28, within which is a damper 29,

the upper extremity of the pipe 28 being connected with a flexible tube,or pipe, 30, which, in turn, connected with a source of artificial, ornatural, draft or suction.

"The operation of the device is as follows r "The oleo-resinou'smixtureand the thinners are added to the kettle 10 through the operating door20, which is then closed, the openings 15 r and 16 being closed. Thedamper 29 is opened and a draft, or SLlClllOl'l,

created within the pipe 30, thus having a tendency to draw the fumesupwardly from within the kettle '10. During this operation, air is drawnthrough the annular opening between the kettle 10 and thecovcr 12inwardly into the upper portion of the kettle 10. It is evident that theamount of air thus introduced into the kettle and the amount of air andvapors withdrawn through the 31 )6 3O can'be governed and controlled'bythe regulation-or the damper 29. It is further evident that thisintroduced air, which is cooler than the evolved fumes, will passinwardly under the inner face of the cover 12 and outwardly through theopening21, thus forming what may be called a blanket of cooler air abovethefumes.

Advantage is taken of these two facts in the application of the processof my invention as follows The damper 29 isso positioned that there willbe a moving blanket of cooler air in contact with the inner face of thecover, so that practically-all of the fumes will be held beneath itand,coming into contact with this cooler blanket, will be condensed and fallback into the contents of the kettle. By this control and regulation ofthe draft, coupled with the admission of cooler air, it is possible toprevent practically any of the fumes from escaping rem the kettle andits adjacent parts, such ,s the revoluble joint and the lower portion ofthe flexible tube.

It is further evident that such a control and regulation will preventthe fumes from flowing over the top of the kettle with the accompanyingdanger of lire and explosion, and that these dangers are also obviatedwithin the kettle or its adjacent parts.

The proper regulation of the damper is readily accomplished by openingthe door 18 and observing the operations within the kettle, If fumes areobserved escaping through the openi g 16, it is evident that the dampershould be opened somewhat, in order to admit more air and form a thickerblanket. The appearance of the vapors beneath the rubair blanket clearlydemonstrates whether the damper should be opened or closed, thuspresentin an easily demonstratable determination of the control andregulation to be employed. 7

By kettle in my specification and claims, 1 mean anyreceptacle, orcontainer, suitable for the carrying out of my process.

I do not limit myself to the particular size, shape, number or arrangement of parts as shown and described, nor to the particular means orsteps of process as described, all of which may be varied without goingbeyond the scope or" my invention as shown, described and claimed.

l v hat I claim is l. A process for controlling fumes within a coveredkettle which comprises admitting air into the upper portion of thekettle, inducing a draft to the uper portion of the kettle andcontrolling the amount of draft lwhereby the amount of air drawn intothe kettle will be controlled.

2. A process for controlling fumes within a covered kettle whichcomprises admitting air into the upper portion of the kettle, inducingand controlling a draft in the upper portion of the kettle so thatapproximately all of the condensible fumes will be condensed within thekettle and its ad acent parts.

A process for controlling fumes within covered kettle which comprisesadmitting whereby a moving blanket of admitted air will be formedadjacent to the inner face of the cover.

4. A process for controlling fumes within a covered kettle whichcomprises admitting air into the upper portion of the kettle, inducing adraft to the upper portion of the kettle and controlling the amount ofdraft whereby the air drawn into the kettle will retain approximatelyall of the condensible fumes within the kettle and its adjacent partsuntil approximately all of the condensible fumes have been condensed.

5. A process for recovering fumes evolved in the thinning process ofpaint Vehicles, varnishes and similar materials which comprises addingvolatile thinners to a heated mixture of leo-resinous materials within acovered kettle, admitting air into the upper portion of the kettle,inducing a draft to the upper portion of the kettle and controlling theamount of draft whereby the admitted air will retain approximately allof the volatilized thinners within the kettle and its adjacent partsuntil they have been condensed and retur ed to the oleo-resinousmaterials.

G. A process for recovering fumes evolved in the thinning process ofpaint vehicles, varnishes and similar materials which comprises addingvolatile thinners to a heated mixture of oleo-resinous materials withina covered kettle, admitting air into the upper portion of the kettle,inducing a draft to the upper portion of the kettle and controlling theamount of draft whereby the admitted air will retain and condenseapproximately all of the volatilized thinners Within the kettle and itsadjacent parts.

Signed at New York in the count of New York and State of New York this26th day of lllay, 1921.

VERN K. BOYNTON.

